Expanding The Host Club's Market
by Godess The Hyper Fangirl
Summary: What happens when Tamaki's father finally had enough of his son being so unaware of how the world works? It's time for him to get a job.


**Title: **Expanding The Host Club's Market

**Series: **Ouran High School Host Club

**Pairing: **A bit of TamakxKyouya

**Rating: **PG-13

Soooo putting a McDonald's visor on a Tamaki plushie turned into a fic. I think I'm too easily amused. And yes, I had to get my little bit of TamakixKyouya in there =D I don't actually work at McDonalds, so if I get stuff wrong please don't kill me ._. It's not very long, either, mostly because I started to run out of ideas.

Enjoy and HAPPY HOSTAVERSARY! (Don't get it? Read on and you will soon understand).

* * *

One day, Haruhi was running some errands. She had bought some groceries and a few other household items. On her way home, she usually cut through a McDonald's parking lot. For some strange reason today she decided to take a look in through one of the windows. She suddenly stopped and squinted inside. Was she seeing what she thought she saw? She walked inside of the fast food joint to further investigate. Yes, she was definitely seeing what she thought she saw. Tamaki was standing behind the counter, taking orders. Tamaki Suou, the son of the head of Ouran Academy, school for the wealthy, and he himself was president of the school's host club, was behind the cash register at McDonalds. Working. _Wor-king. _It didn't seem to matter how Haruhi said it in her head, 'Tamaki' and 'Working at McDonalds' did not seem to sound right. After further examination, she noticed a line of googly-eyed fangirls nearly out the door. Half of them didn't even look like they'd ever walk into a McDonalds, never mind touch a hamburger. She figured it was a good idea to put him on as a cashier, they'd sure make a lot of money. She then noticed he was using his left hand, his right wrapped up in a bandage. He may act like an idiot, but that didn't mean he necessarily deserved to get hurt. Okay, maybe sometimes he did, but she wouldn't wish it on him. Pushing through the hoard of girls, she made her way to the counter. "Tamaki-senpai...what do you think you're doing?," she tried not to sound annoyed.

"Ah! Haruhi!" he seemed excited, "I'm working! It's so much fun! You should try it!" Haruhi just stared at him, and he stared back with a satisfied expression. "You wouldn't want a Daddy without a job, would you~?" he asked her.

"I don't think having a parent who works at McDonald's is something you'd brag about.." she sighed.

"Don't worry, you're seeing what you think you are," a voice came from behind her, it was Kyouya. She nearly jumped over the counter. When she looked behind her, she saw Kyouya was wearing a managers uniform. He was writing in his notebook as usual and didn't look impressed in the least. She looked at the name tag he was wearing. Yep, it said 'Kyouya O.' on it, so she wasn't imagining him either. She kind of wished she was. Kyouya looked at his watch, "We're on break now, so I'll let Tamaki explain it since he seems amused by the situation." Although Haruhi didn't, Tamaki hopped over the counter and led her outside. The girls all frowned and left now that their eye candy wasn't working anymore.

"So..I'm a bit afraid to ask but...why are you working? Wait, let me change that, why are you working at _McDonalds_?" she asked once they were sitting on a bench outside.

"Well, you see, it all started when..."

_~This marks the start of a flashback, Wayne's World style if you like.~_

"Kyouya!!! I need your help~" Tamaki hugged Kyouya from behind.

Completely unfazed, Kyouya didn't even look over at him and continued what he was doing, "What is it?"

"I want to make Haruhi a Hostaversary cake!" he threw his hands in the air excitedly.

Kyouya blinked, that one did catch him off guard. He turned around to face him, "A what?"

"A Hostaversary!" he was still excited about this, "Haruhi has been working as a host for a whole year! We need to celebrate!" Kyouya just stared at him, he felt like he was loosing braincells just listening to this. Regaining his composure, he responded.

"Why can't you just buy her a cake? I can order it if you like," he went to write it down in his book-o-secrets.

"No! That's not special at all!" he grabbed the pen, causing Kyouya to draw a line across the one page all the way over to the other. He twitched, but said nothing. Prone to Kyouya's annoyance, Tamaki continued, "We need to _make_ her a cake!"

"Then...make her a cake?" he replied, he didn't know what else to say.

"I don't know how to make a cake, and that's where you come in! You know everything!" he pouted at him.

"Flattery will not convince me otherwise," he looked into his book. When he looked back up, Tamaki was on his knees in front of him giving him puppy dog eyes. He sighed, "You aren't going to leave me alone until I help you, are you?" Tamaki shook his head. Kyouya sighed and then closed his book, "Fine, but we're doing it at your house. My father already thinks you're crazy enough..."

"Yay!" he bounded up in record time and hugged him again. _What am I getting myself into?_ Kyouya thought to himself.

The following weekend, Kyouya was standing in Tamaki's kitchen, wondering what half the crap Tamaki was taking out was for. A few of the chefs were watching him from the doorway, nearly as confused as Kyouya. Kyouya pretty much let Tamaki do it himself, just making sure he wasn't hurting himself. When it came to the eggs, he had to interrupt. "I'd suggest doing that in a separate bowl...," he said as he watched Tamaki about to crack it straight into the bowl of ingredients. He didn't comment about the fact that he put all the wets and dry's together without putting them in separate bowls first, so he had to speak about something sometime.

Tamaki looked at him, confused, "Why?"

"You'll see," was all he said, crossing his arms. Tamaki then attempted to crack the egg, in a separate bowl because of Kyouya's advice. It cracked, and there was shell all in the yolk. He emptied the bowl and tried again. The same thing happened. The third time the egg didn't even make it into the bowl, he was so frustrated he cracked the egg in his hand. Kyouya shook his head and walked over, "Idiot." As if he was a child, Kyouya came up behind him and took his hands, one now had a new egg in it. He lightly tapped the egg against the edge of the bowl, he then used Tamaki's other hand to open it and empty the contents of the egg into the bowl perfectly. "That's how you crack an egg," he said simply. He didn't realize what he'd done until Tamaki started to lean back against him. That was when he let go and stepped back, crossing his arms again. Tamaki said nothing as well as he cracked another egg. He didn't crack it as perfectly as Kyouya had, but it wasn't as bad as his previous attempts.

Finally, the cake was made. It didn't look too horrible, and Kyouya was becoming a bit more confident that this could actually go well. Tamaki put the cake in the oven and set the timer for 45 minuets. The two of them went to watch some TV. Well, more Tamaki facinated by the flirting antics of Johnny Bravo and Kyouya trying to block it out. The Suou household recently got some new American channels that Tamaki hadn't gotten to see yet. After a while, Kyouya started to smell smoke. He got up to go see for himself and was not pleased by what he saw. However, he calmly came back and picked up the phone. Tamaki looked over, completely oblivious to the smoke beginning to pour into the room, "What is it?"

Kyouya spoke with the operator on the other end before hanging up and looking to Tamaki, "Your cake is setting the kitchen on fire." He went back.

Tamaki frowned and followed, "But I set the timer..."

"Was it ticking?" he asked, wondering why there was no extinguisher anywhere.

"Was it what?" he frowned, watching Kyouya run one way down the hall, and then the other.

"Ticking. Meaning was it working," he was loosing his patience.

"Oh I don't know....maybe?" he replied, and then finally noticed the fire, "AH!!! FIRE!!"

The scene his father came home to was not a nice one. There was Tamaki and Kyouya covered in soot, the cooks mourning over the loss of the kitchen, a couple firefighters reeling in the hose, and Tamaki's burnt Hostaversary cake where the counter would have been. "Tamaki...can I see you in my office? It was nice seeing you Kyouya..." he said to him, giving him an indication to leave. Kyouya left and Tamaki followed his father to his office, still covered in soot. His father sat in his desk chair, and Tamaki stood until he was indicated to sit. "I thought maybe giving you the luxeries of a rich life would be beneficial to you...but maybe I was wrong. This is not the first time you've done such a thing on a simple task. I cannot let you go through life like this any further. I'm not quite sure what I have in mind for you yet, but something has to be done. I worry about you, a kitchen can be replaced but you can't. You may go now." Tamaki just nodded and left, going to take a shower. Once he was finished, his father called him into his office again. "I just got off the phone with . We have decided that we are going to get you a job. To make sure you are alright, Kyouya will join you. Alright?"

"Yes sir..but..where?" he asked, not afraid to sit down since he was clean now.

"Where normal teenagers usually begin work - the fast food industry most likely. I'll give you more details later," he turned around in his chair, looking out the large window behind. Tamaki took that as a sign to leave, so he did.

A few days later, Tamaki looked at himself in the mirror. He was wearing the blue McDonalds uniform shirt and matching visor. He adjusted the name tag. For most rich kids, this would be the ultimate torture, but for him this was a big adventure. He didn't go in a limo, he went in a taxi. However, before they got there they had to pick up Kyouya as well. He was definitly not as enthusiastic as Tamaki was. His uniform was different, he was wearing a black button down shirt and he didn't have a visor. Tamaki frowned, "Why do you get a different uniform?"

Kyouya got into the taxi and closed the door, "Because you got me into this and since there is no way out, I am at least going to work at a respectible position. I am a manager."

"How did you manage that? I thought they didn't hire teenagers as managers..." Tamaki looked confused as the taxi started to move.

Kyouya pushed up his glasses, "Let's just say I had a little chat with them about how their system was flawed and they asked if I didn't say anything to the head they'd hire me as manager." Tamaki didn't say anything as he leaned back in his seat. It was a long and awkward car ride to the workplace. Once they got there, however, that was when the fun started. Kyouya had other business to attend to, so he didn't get the pleasure of training Tamaki. Since he was quite tall, they decided it would be easiest for him to work kitchen. They taught him how to use all the equipment, and since it seemed he was doing alright they left him to work. Tamaki was enjoying this, he was working just like a regular commoner! The thought excited him. All Tamaki really had to make that morning was coffee and pies, but when the lunch rush came in that was when the trouble started. Even in the kitchen, the fangirl sense went off and the girls went to swoon. Tamaki was currently making some hamburgers as he looked over. His own host senses kicked in and he tried to impress them.

"Hello ladies~," he said, flipping the burger. Since he wasn't looking, the scorching hot burger landed right on the hand he was flipping with. The girls gasped, and Tamaki thought that was because he had taken their breath away. He didn't realize what they were really gasping at until he felt the pain in his hand and looked down, "Ah!" He shook his hand and the burger fell onto the ground. Relieved, he set his hand down. Onto the oven. It again took him a moment before he felt the pain and lifted his hand up, holding his wrist with his other hand and blowing on it. Since the girls were still watching, he was trying to hide the tears of pain welling up in his eyes. Kyouya was not impressed that he'd only been gone a little while and Tamaki had already hurt himself. Taking his wrist, he dragged him into a closet. He sat him down on a bucket and grabbed some bandages and cream off a shelf. He then got down and began to tend to his burned hand. He said nothing as he did. After a long silence yet again, Tamaki spoke, "Kyouya....why haven't you called me an idiot like you usually would?"

"Because contrary to popular belief, I am capable of giving you some sympathy?" he replied, "And also contrary to your belief, I wasn't forced into this. I came on my own free will. This is as beneficial for me as it is for you." Tamaki's face has lifted when Kyouya had said that, but fell when he had mentioned it being beneficial. He thought for once that he would have come for him. However, he was thinking too soon. "Don't look at me like that, either. It's beneficial for work experience and it lets me keep an eye on you," he finished bandaging his hand. Tamaki just watched him, he didn't often see any sort of compassion from Kyouya and he knew him better than anyone. He decided he better not push his luck, this was enough already.

"Thank you," he stood up, whacking his head off the shelf above him, "Ow.."

"I think we should move you to counter...I don't think you can hurt yourself there," Kyouya stood as well and pushed his glasses up, back to more of his normal self. Before he could think about it, Tamaki gave Kyouya a quick hug before leaving the closet. The hug lasted a couple seconds, but in Kyouya's mind it was forever. He just stared at the wall for a while, as if it would give him an answer. Once he discovered it wouldn't, he cleared his throat, pushed up his glasses once more, and left the closet to do his work.

_~This marks the end of the flashback.~_

"So..you burned down a kitchen trying to make me a cake, which resulted in you getting a job, which then resulted in you burning your hand?" Haruhi was trying to get the story straight in her mind as she leaned forward on the bench.

Tamaki nodded, "Yes, that's what happened."

"I appreciate the thought, but next time try not to get into any trouble," she stood up and took her bags, "And as interesting as that story was, I have to leave now." She then began to walk home.

"BY-EEE!!! DADDY LOVES YOU!!!" he hopped up and waved, and then realized it hurt to wave with his burned hand so he changed to the other one. Haruhi just shook her head and kept on walking.

"You know, you could have done without the part about the eggs and the part in the closet..." Kyouya said, hiding his face in his book.

"Why not? You told me to tell the story, so I did," he turned around to face him.

"Yes, but this was your story, not mine," he insisted.

"Why are you so up tight today? Well...more than usual," he corrected himself.

Kyouya then stood up, "We need to get back to work. She's right, we don't need to get into any more trouble." He went to walk away, but Tamaki grabbed his arm(don't worry, it was with his good hand). Kyouya looked over his shoulder, "Can I help you?"

Tamaki just smiled and simply said, "Thank you." Kyouya, although he wasn't often, became confused. He turned around and looked at him, Tamaki was still smiling.

"What have I done?" he asked him, Tamaki was still holding his arm.

"More than you'll ever know, and probably more to come," Tamaki then let go.

"What have I ever done? Aren't I the cold-hearted one?" he said, he didn't say it like it was a bad thing, he said it matter-of-factly.

"On the outside, maybe. But I've always thought that might have been a shield, like if you don't you'll get hurt. Then again you said it yourself, you aren't completely incapable of sympathy," he then walked past him as he'd done when he left the closet.

Kyouya said nothing. He stayed outside a little bit longer, he was mostly collecting his thoughts. _Is he right? Does he know something about myself that I don't even know? _He looked back to see Tamaki walking inside before starting to walk himself. _Does he actually mean something to me? _This was the thought he was left with for most of the walk back. Before he went inside, he did something that probably no one would ever see him do, he cracked a smile.

_Maybe he's smarter than I give him credit for._

**~~~THE END~~~**


End file.
